Summary On 07September 1995, the Cypriot bulk carrier DORADO, loaded with iron ore, departed Sepetiba, Brazil, en route to Contrecoeur, Quebec. In the next few days, the crew discovered a leak in a ballast tank. On two occasions, rudimentary repairs were effected to plug the leak, but the crew was unable to stop it. After unloading her cargo at Contrecoeur on 30September 1995, the vessel proceeded to Port-Cartier, Quebec, where she loaded 28,500tonnes of grain. On 18October, the Canadian authorities inspected the hull of the DORADO and confirmed the presence of a leak. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information Particulars of the Vessel On 05 September 1995, the DORADO underwent an inspection considered essential by Brazilian authorities before any bulk iron ore is loaded at Sepetiba. A classification society other than that of the vessel determined that the vessel's seaworthiness was satisfactory. On 07 September, after loading 30,796tonnes of iron ore, the vessel departed Sepetiba bound for Canada. In the next few days, the crew discovered a leak in the No.7 port ballast tank. On 22September 1995, the vessel anchored at Five Fathom Hole off the coast of Bermuda to weld a doubling plate over the side shell plating. When the vessel reported to the Vessel Traffic Centre upon entering Canadian waters on 27 September 1995, there was no mention of any damage. After the cargo of ore was unloaded at Contrecoeur on 30September, a second doubling plate was welded inside the No. 7 port ballast tank, in way of the plate that had been installed off Bermuda. The classification society was not informed of these rudimentary repairs. The vessel proceeded to Port-Cartier, and on 13 October 1995, completed a load of 28,500tonnes of grain. Meanwhile, Transport Canada was informed of the leak in the No.7 port ballast tank. Transport Canada authorized the vessel to depart from Port-Cartier on condition that the vessel be anchored in Sept-les Bay. On 18October, an underwater inspection was performed in Sept-les Bay, where the classification society and Transport Canada discovered that a doubling plate had been welded on the port side shell plating in way of the No.7 port ballast tank. An opening was made in the forward bulkhead of the engine-room to provide access to the ballast tank. It was noted that the leak was caused by corrosion of the upper continuous weld of the bilge strake. After the leak was discovered by Transport Canada inspectors, the company stated that it had determined that the damage did not compromise the vessel's seaworthiness, and consequently, no detail regarding this occurrence had been recorded in the ship's log or the sounding log. Subsequently, the classification society issued a Provisional Certificate of Class to the vessel on condition that the necessary repairs be performed after the unloading of the grain cargo at Recife, Brazil. Thereafter, on 19October, Transport Canada authorized the DORADO to depart Sept-les Bay. During a previous voyage in 1995, the vessel had developed a severe list to port between Matanzas, Venezuela, and Murmansk, Russia. After unloading was completed at Murmansk, a leak had been discovered in the No.4 port ballast tank, and it was plugged under the supervision of the operator. However, within a few days, a leak was again reported in the ballast tank. A little over a year earlier, the DORADO had been in similar circumstances while she was in Canada: on 19April 1994, no damage was reported to Canadian authorities when the vessel entered territorial waters. On 21April, the vessel arrived in lightship condition at berth No.28 of the port of Qubec, Quebec, to load grain for Libya. During the loading operation on 26September, the Ship Safety Branch of Transport Canada was informed of a leak in the No.4 starboard ballast tank. The report indicated that when the vessel had called at New Orleans, Louisiana, in the spring of 1994, the services of a diver had been retained to stop a leak in the bottom shell plating in way of the No.4 starboard ballast tank. The transverse fracture in the bottom shell plating had been plugged with packing, which was then covered with cement to form a coffer. The damages and repairs were not reported to the classification society in New Orleans, nor was the occurrence recorded in the ship's log. Transport Canada stopped the grain loading operation although some of the ship's senior officers questioned the loss of seaworthiness. An underwater inspection performed in the presence of Transport Canada inspectors and the classification society revealed that the butt weld in way of frame 123 on the starboard bottom shell plating was corroded and that packing material was leaking through the opening. In the past, the Board has expressed concern that ships known to have serious operating defects are being granted clearance to enter Canadian waters, posing a threat to lives, property and the environment. In its report on a similar 1990 occurrence(1), the Board recommended that, to effectively identify substandard ships and to take appropriate action at the time of the vessel's requesting clearance to enter Canadian waters : The Department of Transport ensure that any information from Port State Control inspections be readily accessible by Vessel Traffic Services. (M93-13 issued December 1993) Transport Canada indicated that operating procedures would be reviewed by Canadian Coast Guard officials to ensure that relevant information held in Port State Control data banks would be accessible to the appropriate authorities to enable them to make informed decisions. Presently, officials from TC, CCG and TSB have set up an interdepartmental working group to exchange and share data, such as Port State Control related information.